A small electric vehicle includes: left and right motors connected so as to respectively transmit power to left and right driving wheels; left and right rotation speed sensors; a joystick-type operation element; and a control unit, wherein it is configured to calculate target rotation speeds of the left and right motors, based on a target vehicle speed and a target vehicle angular velocity that are provided according to an operation position of the operation element, and control the left and right motors such that the actual rotation speeds of the left and right motors follow the respective target rotation speeds, and configured to update at least one target value, according to a cumulative number of travels obtained by dividing, by a predetermined control unit, a cumulative total value of a cumulative power consumption obtained by the battery management unit.

A robotic lawn mower includes a first wheel driven by a first electric wheel motor, a second wheel driven by a second electric wheel motor, a cutting implement driven by an electric cutting implement motor, a power system for powering the electric wheel motors and the electric cutting implement motor, and a controller configured to control operation of the electric wheel motors and the electric cutting implement motor to autonomously mow a yard. The power system includes multiple removable rechargeable battery modules and multiple receptacles, each receptacle configured to receive one of the battery modules.

A steer-by-wire steering system for a motor vehicle with a steerable front wheel axle that has two steerable wheels. The front wheel axle includes a single wheel drive which, by means of a drive controller, individually drives wheel drives which are associated with the steerable wheels. The drive controller has a controller which determines a target speed for the left-hand wheel and a target speed for the right-hand wheel in accordance with an accelerator pedal angle and a rotational angle of a steering shaft, and which limits the target speeds to a slip-limited speed. The drive controller individually drives the wheel drives in such a way that the difference between the target speed and the actual speed for each steerable wheel is minimal.

A control apparatus for a vehicle includes: a target yaw rate calculator; a primary limit yaw rate calculator; a yaw rate comparator; a secondary limit yaw rate calculator; and a vertical load controller. The target yaw rate calculator calculates a target yaw rate of the vehicle. The primary limit yaw rate calculator calculates a primary limit yaw rate on a basis of a vertical load on a wheel. The yaw rate comparator compares the target yaw rate with the primary limit yaw rate. The secondary limit yaw rate calculator calculates a secondary limit yaw rate in a case where a distribution of the vertical load on the wheel is changed in a case where the target yaw rate exceeds the primary limit yaw rate. The vertical load controller changes the vertical load on a basis of the secondary limit yaw rate.

An electric vehicle includes a yaw rate sensor and a processor. The yaw rate sensor is configured to measure a yaw rate of a vehicle body in a vehicle. The processor is configured to control respective torques of right and left rear wheels coupled to respective motors of the electric vehicle. In a case where a mode that allows the right and the left rear wheels to slip is selected as a traveling mode of the vehicle, the processor is configured to perform a control to suppress one of the torques of the right and the left rear wheels on a basis of the yaw rate measured by the yaw rate sensor.

A drive apparatus includes a first variable speed drive mechanism, a second variable speed drive mechanism, a first output half shaft, and a second output half shaft. The first variable speed drive mechanism includes a first reduction gear, a first planetary gear system, and a first brake mechanism. The second variable speed drive mechanism includes a second reduction gear, a second planetary gear system, and a second brake mechanism. The first planetary gear system includes a first sun gear, a first gear ring, a first planetary gear, and a first planet carrier. The first reduction gear is engaged with the first sun gear.

An electric vehicle may include a battery, a drive axle, a drive wheel coupled to the drive axle, and a combined motor and brake unit. The combined motor and brake unit may be electrically coupled to the battery and mechanically coupled to the drive axle. The combined motor and brake unit may include a housing, an electric motor inside the housing and electrically coupled to the battery, a transmission inside the housing, a motor output shaft, a braking mechanism, and a motor input shaft. The transmission may transmit rotation of the electric motor to the drive axle and the drive wheel. The motor output shaft may couple the electric motor to the transmission. The braking mechanism may be coupled to the housing. The motor input shaft may couple the electric motor to the braking mechanism and input, to the electric motor, a braking force applied by the braking mechanism.

An all-wheel system for a motor vehicle, with a first electric machine for driving a first drive axle of the motor vehicle; a first electronic power unit for controlling a rotational speed of the first electric machine; a second electric machine for driving a second drive axle of the motor vehicle; a second electronic power unit for controlling the rotational speed of the second electric machine on the basis of the rotational speed of the first electric machine and a specified differential rotational speed between the first electric machine and the second electric machine.

A vehicle includes a front-wheel motor, a rear-wheel motor, a temperature detector, and a distribution ratio controller. The front-wheel motor drives a front wheel. The rear-wheel motor drives a rear wheel. The temperature detector detects a temperature of the front-wheel motor and a temperature of the rear-wheel motor. If one of the temperature of the front-wheel motor and the temperature of the rear-wheel motor exceeds a second temperature, the distribution ratio controller decreases a torque of one of the front-wheel motor and the rear-wheel motor the temperature of which is higher than the other and increase a torque of the other. The second temperature is a value set lower than a first temperature that is a threshold used for determination as to whether output of the front-wheel motor or output of the rear-wheel motor is to be restricted.

A vehicle includes at least one wheel hub, a wheel hub speed sensor, and a controller. The wheel hub is configured to be coupled to a drive wheel. The wheel hub speed sensor is proximate to the wheel hub and is configured to generate a wheel hub speed signal that facilitates determination of a rate and direction of rotation of the wheel hub. The controller is configured to communicate power to a motor assembly coupled to the wheel hub to rotate the wheel hub at a particular rate and in a particular direction. The particular rate and the particular direction are associated with a particular position of a plurality of positions of a steering control.